February 8, 2024
New York, NY, February 8, 2024 -- Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP today announced the opening of its Munich office. In addition, Georg Linde, who has been leading Willkie’s Frankfurt office, has been named Managing Partner of Germany, and Corporate & Financial Services partner Dr. Kamyar Abrar has been named Co-Managing Partner of Germany. Together, they will lead Willkie’s practice in the market.
The Munich region has become increasingly important for Willkie’s core practices of Private Equity and Insurance Transactions. In addition, Munich is home to some of the largest and most innovative industrial companies in Germany and many corporates, including a number of existing Willkie clients, have chosen Munich as their German headquarters.
Willkie Private Equity partners Miriam Steets and Dr. Axel Wahl are relocating from Frankfurt to Munich to support the launch of the office. In addition, partners Anne Kleffmann (Labor & Employment), Dr. Wolfram Prusko (Business Reorganization & Restructuring) and Dr. Richard Roeder (Investigations & Enforcement), along with a group of counsel and associates from the Frankfurt office, will move to Munich. There will initially be approximately 20 lawyers on the ground and further growth is expected.
“Opening in Munich is another strategic opportunity that fits well with our growing global platform,” said Willkie Chairman Thomas Cerabino. “We have been investing in Germany and have nearly tripled in size there in the last four years. We are excited about this latest development in our expanding footprint, as Munich ties directly to key sectors in our client base. Georg and Kamyar are exceptional lawyers who will continue to excel at leading Willkie’s operations in Germany.”
Georg Linde commented: “Willkie is known as one of the most dynamic platforms in Germany today, and we are thrilled to establish a presence in Munich, which is an important center to so many of our clients around the world. It is a market we want to have a presence in.”
Dr. Kamyar Abrar commented: “This is an exciting time for Willkie in Germany. We’ve seen tremendous growth in our market share in the last four years alone, and I look forward to working alongside Georg and collaborating with our colleagues around the world to lead our German operations to continued success.”
Willkie has approximately 85 lawyers based in Germany. The Firm has continuously strengthened its transactional practice in the region while also expanding its legal advisory services in the market by introducing a number of new practices, each headed by leading figures in their fields, including capital markets, real estate, litigation, restructuring, employment, financial regulation and compliance.
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Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP provides leading-edge legal solutions on complex, business critical issues spanning markets and industries. Our approximately 1,200 attorneys across 14 offices worldwide deliver innovative, pragmatic and sophisticated legal services across approximately 45 practice areas. Learn more at www.willkie.com.
